One of the best ways to maintain sobriety is to take it “one day at a time.” Every day is a day that we must take time to reaffirm our commitment to our newfound lifestyle and do our best to live by the principles of our recovery program. Setting aside time in the morning to reestablish our commitment to recovery and our relationship with our Higher Power allows us to successfully navigate our day without being at an increased risk of resentment and other negative emotions that could potentially but our sobriety at risk.

Daily prayer and mediation can be a great way to reestablish our commitment to sobriety and willingness to live by the spiritual principles of recovery. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous explains, “On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Under these conditions we can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives.” Thinking too far into the future, especially in early recovery, can be daunting. Therefore, we focus on the day at hand and how we can be our best self and maintain our sobriety for the following twenty-four hours. Praying and asking our Higher Power to keep us from falling into the selfishness and dishonesty can effectively keep us from continuing along the patterns of thoughts and actions that were ubiquitous during our time in active addiction.

The Big Book further suggests, “We usually conclude the period of meditation with a prayer that we be shown all through the day what our next step is to be, that we given whatever we need to take care of such problems. We ask especially for freedom from self-will, and are careful to make no request for ourselves only. We may ask for ourselves, however, if others will be helped.” This process, known as the “daily reprieve,” shifts our thoughts from ourselves to others. It allows us to put ourselves in a mindset of helping others and acting altruistically. Helping others is one of the foundations of recovery, and is an effective tool in maintaining our sobriety.

One day at a time, you can recover. You can begin building a future of happiness, joyousness, and freedom in sobriety by making the decision to seek help now. Resilient House in Shreveport, Louisiana offers a convenient location and breathtaking setting to provide clients a tranquil environment where they can safely explore issues and trauma that may have contributed to the onset of addiction and work toward a full life of recovery and long-term sobriety. For information about treatment options, please call today: (833) 242-6431